Airplane landing-gear.



G. H. CURTISS.

AIRPLANE LANDING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5. 1928 1,29%??9, I Patented Mar. 11,1919.

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INVENTOB, GLENN HCUETISE eyu. CURTISS.

AIRPLANE LANDING GEAR.

APPLICATFON FILED APR. 5. l9l'8 Patented Mar. 11. 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOP.

GLENN HCUQTIss.

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"UNITED srnrns rnrsu'r OFFICE.

GLENN H. CURTISS, 0F GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CUBTISS AEROPLANE AND MOTOR CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

mum: Lemme-GEAR I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

Original application filed December 22, 1916, Serial No. 138,499. Divided and this application filed Aprilrt,

1918. Serial No. 226,860,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GLENN HAMMOND Curries, a citizen of'the United States, residing at Garden City, in the county of Nassau and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Airplane Landing-Gears, of which the folthe longerons or other structural elements of the fuselage.

Its construction, size and form are such that but a single pair of landing struts are required. These struts are preferably positioned in advance of the wing structure and beneath the motor mass. They thus support the weight of the motor. The famng, which is carried back from the struts is attached to the longerons in the vertical plane of the wing structure. Its function is to not only streamline the struts of the landing ar but to increase their strength and widen t cm at their oints of attachment with the fuselage ead resistance or drag is thus appreciably reduced.

The tail skid of the landing gear is characterized .by an improved arrangement of tail skid parts in which the cushioning means is disposed directly above the point of contact and inclosed completely within the fuselage. This disposition of the tail skid parts is better and more effective in that the cushioning means takes up the direct impact of ground operation and carries it directly into the fuselage. Moreover, a minimum number of parts are exposed to the air rush incident to flight.

Of the drawings, wherein like characters of reference designate like or corresponding parts Figure 1 is a front end elevation of an airplane having the improved features of the landing gear embodied in it;

The fairing for the landing gear struts is integrally unlted with thestruts and with Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the forward end of the fuselage with ortions of the wing structure, etc. remove I Fig. 3 is a detail view partly in section and partly in elevation of the empennage;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the construction and arrangement of parts at the tail end of the fuselage, and

o o I Fig. 5 is a detail view, 1n sectlon, of the tail skid.

In the embodiment of the invention selected for illustration the supporting surfaces are designated as 10 and 11. They extend what different from t e usual relation of the landing ear struts.

The w eels 15 of the landing gear are mounted between the strut ends (referring to the struts formed by the continuation of the wing post 13 beyond the lower surface) and are inwardly braced or connected with the fuselage by landing gear struts 16.

These struts 16 are preferably constructed of metal and integrally united with the lower longerons 17 of the fuselage at points directl beneath the engine bed 18 so that the weig t of the motor mass will lie directly above the landing gear axle. Said struts 16 constitute the total number of what may be properly designated landing gear struts although the extended portions of the wing posts 13 function in a related capacity. As a further means of increasing the strength of the landing car without increasing its head resistance airing 19 for the struts 16 is provided. It is likewise constructed of metal and integrally united with the struts 16 and with the longerons 17. From the lower ends of the struts it increases in depth so that at its point of connection with the longerons it is of maximum depth. This construction of the fairin is desirable in that it distributes the lan ing and ground running impacts over a wider area, of the fuselage. When considered in connection with the wing post extensions the fairing 19 constitutes a system of bracing of ample strength. Fairing 20 is used to streamline the axle whichis devoid of shock absorbing means. It is the arrangement, construction and shape of fairing 19 however which gives to the landing gear its required strength.

Through the above arrangement of landing gear struts it is possible to eliminate and entirely dispense wlth the usual forwardly and downwardlinclined landing struts. Although the W111 post extensions carry a portion of the lanrfing stresses into the fuse lage by way of the wing structure the fairing 19 takes up the major portion of the landing stresses. In other words the wing post extensions act as auxiliary landing struts and function primarily as elements of the wing structure truss.

The tail skid, which islocated at the rear ,The guide 23 is pivotally connected as at 27 with the spoon 2-1 and rigidly connected as at 28 with the spring 25. The spring25 at its inner upper end is rigidly fastened as at 29 to and within the stern post to yieldingly resist vertical displacement of the spoon. The rod 22 at its forward end is pivotally connected as at 30 with one of the horizontally extending fuselage struts and rigidly connected by brazing with the spoon 24 at its rear end. It. provides a tie means for preventing rearward displacement of the spoon when coming in contact with the ground while the airplane is in motion. A shoe 31 may be provided to take up the Wear on the tail skid if desired.

A tail skid thus constructed is especially effective in that the landing and ground running impacts occur at a point directly beneath its cushioning means. The connection at 27 is made sufiiciently loose to prevent binding of the spoon 24 when vertically displaced. By inclosing the cushioning means or spring 25 within the stern post 26 of the fuselage it (the spring) is completely hidden and removed from view so as to offer no resistance whatsoever while the machine is in flight. Furthermore, the location of the spring in the manner indicated is better and stronger than at a point longitudinally removed from the transverse vertical plane of the point of contact.

lVhile I have described my invention in detail in its present preferred embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art after understanding my invention, that va- '1. In a landing gear for airplanes, the

combination with the fuselage, of downwardly extending struts connecting with the fuselage at their upper ends, and fairing for the struts of gradually increasing depth from the lower strut ends upwardly, the fairing being connected with the fuselage to conjointly function as strut braces.

2. In a landing gear for airplanes, the combination with the fuselage, of downwa-rdly divergent struts connecting with the fuselage at their upper ends, and fairing for the struts of gradually increasing depth from their lower ends upwardly, the arrangement of the fairing being such that the struts are braced rearwardly and the landing impacts accordingly directed over a wider area of the fuselage.

3. In a landing gear for airplanes, the combination with the fuselage, of a pair of downwardly divergent struts connecting with the fuselage at their upper ends, and fairing for the struts of gradually increasing depth from the lower strut ends upwardly, the fairing comprising separate webs extending back from the struts and connected directly with the fuselage to 'conjointly function as strut braces.

4. In a landing gear for airplanes, the combination with the fuselage, the fuselage including longerons as structural elements thereof, of a pair of downwardly extending struts connecting with the fuselage at their upper ends, and fairing for the struts of gradually increasing depth from the lower strut ends upwardly, said fairing comprising separate webs extending back from the struts and directly connecting with the struts and the longerons to conjointly function as strut braces.

5. In a landing gear for airplanes, the

combination with the fuselage, of a pair of downwardly divergent struts connecting with the fuselage at their upper ends and constituting the only struts of the landing gear connecting with the fuselage, andfairing for the struts of gradually increasing depth from the lower strut ends upwardly, said fairing comprising separate webs ex tending .back from the struts and directly connecting with both the struts and the fuselage to brace the former and accordingly distribute the landing impacts over a wider area of the fuselage.

6. In a landing gear for airplanes, the combination with the fuselage and supporting surfaces, of a pair of downwardly divergent struts connecting with the fuselage at their upper ends, said struts being the only landing gear struts connecting with the fuselage, and a pair of downwardly convergent struts connecting at their upper ends with the supporting surfaces, said last mentioned struts, when viewed from the side, being inclined rearwardly and upwardly from the lower strut ends and con stituting the only landing gear struts connecting with the supporting surfaces.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

GLENN H. OURTISS, 

